Present Day :
I could still smell the sea breeze as I woke up. God, why was I dreaming of that place of all things? And most of all why did Aiden have to be there? Those memories were a part of the past. Yet my annoying brain had a way of reminding me of exactly the things I shouldn't remember.At the university, I tried to relax but the thought of my enemy being in the same building didn't let me do so. I finally came across him in class. His confidence was off the charts as usual. And I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of him.
Our finance teacher was smiling more often than she used to. She even seemed more conscious about her looks, continuously running her hands through her hair even though there were no loose strands. As for the girls, they were continuously ogling him without shame.
I hated how superficial everyone was. They barely knew him yet looked ready to fall at his feet. But then again who was I to blame them? I had only known him for a short time and had gone so far as to assume that his soul was as beautiful as his face.
Class ended and I tried to leave the lecture hall as soon as possible. As I neared his seat I quickened my pace. But my clumsiness made an appearance at just that moment. I felt my foot slip and I fell straight toward the floor. I saw Aiden moving as if to grab my arm but he pulled away at the last moment. Leaving me to land on the floor. Thank God, I had landed on my palms instead of my face. Just then I heard someone burst into laughter. A very graceful, sardonic laugh.
I looked up to see Aiden having the time of his life at my expense. Now I was sure that he had not grabbed me before I fell on purpose. Stacy and Candice started helping me off my feet. Candice went so far as to give Aiden an ugly scowl for which I felt very grateful.
I realized my friends weren't the only ones who weren't finding this funny. Others including some of Aiden's fangirls were looking at him strangely. Your looks can hide the ugliness within you only for so long Aiden, I thought with satisfaction.
At home I checked my inbox. I had given an advertisement offering my services as a tutor for school-going kids. To my surprise and delight, I found an email from a prospective client. It was a woman whose daughter was in grade ten. I noted down her address and then rushed out to tell my mom and sister the good news.
The next day I drove the Prius to the woman's house. As I entered the neighborhood the realization hit me that this was the same area around which Aiden lived. Even though his house was right on the edge isolated from the rest, I still felt a feeling of dread.
A woman in a black and white maid's uniform ushered me into the drawing room. It was nowhere near as grand as Aiden's but it was stylish in a contemporary way. Three of the room's sides were made entirely of glass showing the view of the swimming pool beyond.
A middle-aged woman in a burgundy skirt and top with a smart belt fastened at her waist entered the room. Behind her walked a bored-looking teenage girl, her hair streaked with pink and various bands and bracelets on her wrists.
The salary they offered me was quite handsome. Knowing how much my family needed money right now, I agreed without any further discussion. I was about to leave when the woman started insisting that I should at least have lunch with them.
I wanted to reach home quickly but the woman was so insistent on the idea and I didn't want to piss off my employer so I agreed.
The family was either Italian or very much into Italian cuisine. There was mushroom risotto, pasta carbonara, and Margherita pizza along with other dishes I recognized as Italian. I was once again reminded of my visit to Aiden's house. After he had shown me the beach bordering their property we had eaten dinner which also consisted largely of pasta dishes and pizza.
YOU ARE READING
Beautiful Enmity. (A Billionaire Romance Novel)
RomanceOn the surface, Aiden had it all. Wealth, good looks, and intelligence. But beneath the veneer of masculine perfection lay a broken man. A man obsessed with revenge. A man who hated me with a passion. Or did he? After all, there's a thin line betwee...